Krongard: No Comment on Blackwater

Now that Buzzy Krongard has quit Blackwater's advisory board, will State Department Inspector General Howard "Cookie" Krongard rescind his recusal from Blackwater investigations?

I'd like to be able to answer that question, but unfortunately it'll take a little while. During the pre-Thanksgiving rush to leave town, the Office of the Inspector General's press operation is in the hands of Terry Heide, who normally handles congressional affairs for the OIG. When I called Heide and posed the question, she replied, "The OIG has no further comments on anything related to Mr. Krongard's situation." Attempts at a follow-up were repelled by an instruction that there was "no need to call us back, because we have no comment." Click.

In September, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) accused Heide of threatening IG whistleblowers Ron Militana and Brian Rubendall. According to Waxman, when Militana and Rubendall attempted to cooperate with his investigation of Krongard for stifling waste, fraud and abuse inquiries, Heide told them, "You have no whistleblower protections. Howard could retaliate and you would have no recourse.Â ... Howard can fire you." In a phone interview with me the day Waxman issued the charge, Heide "categorically" denied threatening Militana and Rubendall.